ARTIST PRINT SERIES
The Sweet Malarkey artist print series offers the opportunity for artists to submit original designs to be printed by Sweet Malarkey Risograph Studio in Fort Collins, Colorado.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
- The artist print series is open to artists working in any medium who are interested in translating their work to Risograph prints.
- The artist print series is not a hands-on printing program. All selected artwork will be printed in-house by Sweet Malarkey.
- Submissions are accepted through an open call process and are selected by the studio. Any submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.
- Applicants may submit up to three designs, but only one design will be chosen for print.
- For selected artists, Sweet Malarkey will do a one-time limited run of 50 Riso prints. 25 prints will be given to the artist, and Sweet Malarkey will keep 25 prints to sell through the studio and web store.
- Sweet Malarkey will sell artist series prints for $25-$35 each. Artists may choose any sale price for themselves.
- Selected artists will retain full ownership of their artwork and are free to use it for any other purpose in the future. Applicants may submit existing artwork and do not need to create a new piece for the artist series.
- Applicants will be notified within a week after the open call deadline is closed whether or not their work has been selected.
- Applicants must have a US shipping address to be considered.
- Selected artists living outside of Fort Collins, Colorado will be provided a return shipping label for sending signed prints back to the studio.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- You may submit up to three 11"x14" designs with a resolution of 300-600 DPI. (max print area 10.5"x13.5") Risograph printers cannot print full bleed, and we will not trim paper down to custom sizes for the artist series.
- Submissions do not need to be print-ready but should be designed with the Risograph printing process in mind. If you have questions, please reach out.
- The submission fee is $30. Applicants may submit up to three designs.
- Payments are accepted via Venmo to @sweetmalarkey and must be labeled as "Artist print series".
- Submitting files:
LAYERED FILES should be submitted as either .psd (Photoshop), .ai (Illustrator), or .pdf (Photoshop PDF) files, preferably with each color separated onto it's own layer. Please let us know if you have questions about layered file preparation.
FLATTENED FILES should be submitted as either .pdf or .tiff files.
OTHER INFO
Our Risograph printer is limited to the number of ink drums and colors that the studio has available. Currently, Sweet Malarkey offers six ink options:
BLUE: PMS 3005 U / #007dc2
SCARLET: PMS RED 032 U / #f04f55
YELLOW: PMS YELLOW U / #ffdf0a
KELLY GREEN: PMS 368 U / #3ca448
FLUORESCENT PINK: PMS 806 U / #f360a3
BLACK: PMS BLACK U / #21201f
Because Risograph printing is limited to the specific ink colors that we have available, prints are likely to shift in hue and saturation. However, we will get the prints as close to the original artwork as possible. Artists who want prints to reflect the original artwork as accurately as possible are encouraged to use the specific color hex codes listed above during the design process.
Risograph printing can have some slight imperfections depending on the complexity of the print, the amount of ink coverage, and the number of layers/colors. Many of these imperfections contribute to the unique aesthetic of Risograph printing but should be considered during the design process. To learn more about the printing process as well as a comprehensive list of common imperfections, please visit our Riso printing page.
Have any questions? Please contact us. Thanks for looking!